Backbouncing is a special fishing technique, used primarily by Northwest steelhead and salmon anglers, allowing you to fish a pool or run by using heavy lead to put your bait right on the bottom and, with the help of the current, literally “bounce” your bait along the bottom, keeping it right in the fish’s face. The amount of lead is determined by both depth and current velocity. The rod you choose is based on the power necessary to lift the weight off of the bottom and still have sufficient power to set the hook with authority. It requires a heavy-duty rod with a stiff tip because many times the fish are right in the heaviest current and you need a lot of lead, plus the fact that Chinook salmon can weigh in excess of 80 pounds. The technique is normally used by boaters, but in some cases a bank angler can do it, given the right angle and current conditions. Saltwater anglers can also find this method effective for tidal areas. Since the rods are powerful enough to handle the heavy currents and heavy weight, they're stout enough to handle saltwater species, including tarpon, large snook and small grouper.

The “Hot Shot” rods have light to medium tips and magnum butt-sections. They were originally designed to fish steelhead plugs, like the Hot Shot, where the boat actually is positioned at the head of a run, letting the current “pull” the plug down to the fish zone, near the bottom. The boat sweeps back and forth, across the current so the plugs cover the entire width of the river, then slips further down stream, repeating the process. Lure action is monitored by watching the rod tip wiggle as the lure digs for the bottom. When a fish hits the plug, the magnum butt-section actually sets the hook by the force created by the strike, and the boat operator keeps initial tension on the fish until the angler can grab the rod from the holder. The very nature of this design makes it a good casting tool, and a better fish-fighting tool. Many anglers have discovered they are also very effective for a lot of different applications.